Decisions, decisions

Shawn and I just seem to keep walking in circles when it comes to the house. Why does the same idea just keep circling back around? We're once again thinking about putting the house on the market. Here are just a few of the reasons we're coming full circle:

1. Commute. I have a 45 min drive each way. That's an hour and a half a day that I miss out on time with Miss Moo. 7.5 hrs a week. Think of what I could do with that time. The only problem with gaining these extra hours is that I would have no excuse to NOT cook dinner (or have Shawn cook it!).
2. Play space. We are being over run with Mallie's toys. No, she really doesn't have a ton of toys, it's just that I want my own "adult only" area where I don't have garish primary colors staring out at me and where I don't have to stub my toe on a mislaid block, car, __________ (insert wayward toy here).
3. Stuff. I'll admit it with my head held high: we're collectors. Okay, let me first admit that while I do collect it's really Shawn that has the problem. You should see the crap he brings in (and what he talks me into keeping) because we "might need it one day." I've finally come to the conculsion that most things can be replaced in the event we might "need it one day."

So, the realtor came over today and talked about prices in the neighborhood, etc. It's not a good story right now and we have a lot to think about. In the meantime, know anyone who wants to buy a house in the DFW area?

Where did this obsession come from?

Mallory is obsessed with shoes. And I don't say this jokingly, it really is an obsession that needs to be monitored because if left unchecked Mommy and Daddy's checkbook could take some serious hits.

Every time you turn around I hear Mallie say "ooeesss."




You know...now that I think back, I think Jill may have something to do with this. I'm gonna have to have a lllooonnnggg talk with her.

Becoming a big girl

So, a few Saturdays ago it happened. I wasn't expecting it AT ALL, but time has a way of sneaking up on you. What is it you say? Well, Mallory walked into her room all the while muttering "night, night". What happened next is what amazed me. She climbed into her big girl bed. The crib just wouldn't do ... when I tried to lay her in it you would have thought she was in the Fifth Ward and was too scared to stay there by herself. So, the big girl bed it was.

I ran out and bought one of those toddler rail things (oy vey it's ugly!). But, if it will keep my baby from rolling off the side of her bed like a pebble rolling down a hill I guess I'll take it.

It's been a few weeks of the big girl bed and it's going great. Guess this is just like everything else Mallie does ... she does it on her own terms. It's a sigh of relief that I didn't have to do the transition myself, but boy am I in for surprises over the next few years.

Now, if she could only take this attitude about potty training.

That girl has a green thumb!

We had some friends over this weekend and I guess we got distracted. Next thing you know I hear our friend Adam say, "ahhh...I think someone has been doing some gardening." You can see what we found. Still not sure if the culprit was Mallory or Christopher (Adam's son) but my bet's on Miss Moo.

A banner, bittersweet day

My little girl is growing up too fast. Seems like yesterday she was gooing and gaaing at me and the next thing you know she's decided that she was going to sleep in her big girl bed. Where does the time go? This weekend was the first foray into the big girl world. So far we're having very sweet dreams during naptime on the big girl bed ... but night time has yet to be tried!

Two down, how many more to go?

It's been a tough month here at work. Why? We've lost two people out of our practice, both of whom are very close friends. I don't want to feel like their leaving is a betrayal, but honestly it's hard not to. I keep telling myself, as I have done many times before, it's just business. But, we all know it's not always just about the business. It's about the people.

Most of us just manage to muddle through our jobs on a daily basis. Honestly, how many people can say they really love what they do? Not too many. The only reason we typically stay in a job is because of the people. Now, I have to start all over with a new set of "people." I am not one for change these days and I'm being forced into it. Maybe change is good for those who left, but what happens to those you leave behind?

Round and round she goes

One of Mallie's new favorite pasttimes is twirling. Luckily she gets dizzy pretty fast so the circling doesn't last too long. But, it is funny to see her throw her arms out to the side and tilt her head back. Then, as she starts turning she just giggles and giggles. It's one of the best sights in the world!

Sail Away, Sail Away

I hear strains of Enya in my head when I think of sailing away. Maybe it's that darn song that was so popular many moons ago. Do you remember it?! Anyway, back to my point here. We scheduled our first family vacation that doesn't involve visiting other members of the family. We're moving up in the world!

September 24 through October 1 Shawn, Mallory and myself will be sailing the Seven Seas (hey...that's an OMD song) with our friends Melody, Adam and their little boy Christopher. So maybe Seven Seas is exaggerating. We'll be soaking up the sun in the Western Caribbean on Royal Caribbean cruise lines. Our ship is the Rhapsody of the Seas.

We're all very excited. Okay, just mommy and daddy are excited. Mallory doesn't know what's hit her yet!

Lovey Talley

It's been a bitter election season and it shows no end in sight. A dark horse candidate has emerged onto the scene. Apparently Lambie has been bad talking Dollie because she's made no headway in the polls.

Here's the current score:

Lambie: 9
Blankey: 10
Dollie: 4
Monkey: 0

The Biter is Back

Daycare has politely informed us that Mallory has taken up (again) the sport of torturing fellow toddlers by biting them.

-- The good news: all the toddlers in the room are doing it because those darn teeth. That means the reputation is still intact.
-- The bad news: how do I stop it?!

I blame it all on that little boy. I'll call him "B" to protect his identity. Yep, he started the biting trend and the others have just jumped on the bandwagon. You know that famous line uttered by all mothers: "if so and so jumped off a bridge would you too?" Well, apparently in this case the answer is yes.

How many teeth can one girl have?

Teeth seem to be a recurring theme in this blog. The basic point: I wish they would just come in already. Seriously, I am so tired of the whining, crying and clinginess. On the other hand, I feel so sorry for her. She's got four coming in at one time. Gotta hurt.

So, what is prompting this post tonight? Well, it's 10p and we've had to listen to Mallory cry for two hours while we've been trying to get her to go to sleep. The motrin hasn't worked. The rocking hasn't worked. The quiet dark room hasn't worked. What else can I try? (maybe a little whiskey?! just kidding).

To top it all off the AC broke today. Yes, it's hot and humid and we'll all sitting here sweating. It's uncomfortable to say the least. Know when the air conditioner people are getting here? Friday. Yep, 48 whole hours from now. As I told someone earlier...just stick a fork in my eye and get it over with already.

It's been a long day for all of us and it's only just the beginning.

UPDATE: What is that sweet sound I hear? SILENCE! This last time took about 15 mins of crying before she finally gave out for the night (okay, that's my wishful thinking). Cross your fingers for me.

My house is a zoo

Since my last post was about the zoo, I started thinking. Hey, we don't need to go to the zoo to see animals...I've got a few of my own. Just look at my cute little giraffe and bunny!

Zoo no more

I admit it: I am a HUGE Baylor Bear alumni. Love me some Bears. So when an email announcing Diadeloso in Dallas appeared in my inbox one day you couldn't contain my excitement. Diadeloso = day of the bear. On campus, students get the day off of classes and the school provides lunch and fun activities like rock climbing walls, concerts, hypnotists, etc. Hey, anything to avoid class, right? So Baylor has started Diadeloso Dallas and it was going to be at the Dallas Zoo.

My first thought: kill two birds with one stone. Reconnect with Baylor and take Mallory to the zoo for the first time. Win win, right? Ummm...no. I didn't need to look at the monkeys cause I had one in my stroller. We're not quite ready for the zoo just yet.

Summer days

The weather has been beautiful the last few weeks so we've been spending many evenings outdoors. It's fun for mommy and daddy to hang out and BS with the neighbors. Mallory absolutely loves to be outside and explore for different reasons. I'm not sure if it's the idea of freedom or if it's because outdoors is a new, fascinating world.

Somedays she'll sit quietly in the grass and watch the birds fly by, listen to the wind in the trees and remain generally content. Other days she's running around like a banshee and is the dirty neighborhood kid you always dreaded coming to your doorstep. You know the one who you didn't want to invite in because they might put their grubby little hands on your toys.

So now that she's been conditioned to love the outdoors we have a little monster on our hands. She got at time-out at school this week because she threw a tantrum when they tried to come indoors. At home she'll sit in front of the glass storm door and whine to go out. It's going to be a long summer for mommy and daddy.

The Klingon

You'd think we were Star Wars: Next Generation fans from the title of this post, but you would be sorely mistaken. Although I'll readily admit that I've watched a few episodes in my day. Gotta love Jean-Luc Picard. :)

Nope, that's what Shawn has taken to calling Mallory these days. She's been stuck to us like velcro. Guess it's still the teeth. Or maybe it's attachment? That's the crazy thing about parenthood ... it's always a guessing game.

#@%$$!

I dropped a bottle of wine on my foot tonight. Right across the toes. @#$%! does my foot hurt. Don't think anything is broken but it's going to be a nice shade of black and blue for a while. Guess that was karma telling me I didn't need to pull out the box of oatmeal creme pies that was sitting behind the bottle.

Taming the Teefies

Ah, the joys of teething. There has been little sleep going on in our house the last few nights. Wasn't sure if it was because her ear infection was back, she just didn't want to sleep or what. But, mommy discovered the culprit tonight while Mallie has having a big `ol belly laugh. A new tooth has popped through and molars are on their way. That makes 8 teefers and counting.

Picking on the Piggies

Here's a pic of my girl with her first piggies. How adorable is she?

Bad things happen in threes

The last few weeks have made me think that it would have been no fun to be a leper. Who wants to be shut away from the world because of a communicable disease?! Okay, so what we've had going on at our house hasn't been that bad. But, I have felt like we've been shut away from teh rest of the world so we wouldn't spread the wealth if you know what I mean.

A few weeks ago, Mallory started off with a cough/congestion (aka bronchial infection), runny nose and pink eye (yeah, that was fun putting drops in her eyes 4 times a day). I picked it up and had fever, coughing, congestion and finally succumbed to the illness and went to the doctor. Acute bronchitis. No fun. A few days after I got sick, Shawn came down with what I had (and you heard it here first, he is a BABY when he is sick!) plus pink eye.

So, does the theory of bad things happening in 3s apply here? Cause if it does, that means we shouldn't be sick for a LONG time since we've gotten a triple dose at my house. Here's to summer and being well.

Chit Chatting

Over the last few weeks Mallie has really started to have conversations with us. For example:

Mallie: Da
Mommy: Yes, that's the dog. Isn't she pretty.
Mallie: Ba
Mommy: Do you want to play with your ball?
Mallie: Ba
Mallie: Unny
Mommy: Where's the bunny? Are you my bunny?
Mallie: Uice
Mommy: I'll get you some juice.

Well, you get the point. She's becoming a little parrot and most likely knows more words that she's letting on. She'll just blurt out a word and shock you.

She's also starting to love on the dogs much more than she ever did. She'll cuddle up to them and just laugh and giggle. It's so darn cute. Jack is even letting her love on him even more.